Money
9 articles in this category.
National Data Resource: 10 Years Late, £100 Million Short
Wales was promised a £57 million National Data Resource with £151.5 million of modelled benefits in net-present-value terms and full payback by March 2026. By year seven, £35.7 million had been spent, no Health Board uses the platform — and DHCW had silently restated those modelled benefits to £41 million in its own Phase 4 Business Plan.
The Five-Year Crash Against Reality
On 1 April 2026, Digital Health and Care Wales marked its fifth anniversary. Initial confidence quickly turned into a string of failures, without prompting any reflection from its senior leaders. The promises in its founding Annual Plan can now be measured against the Welsh Government's escalation grounds, the Director-General's written rebuke, and three consecutive years of major infrastructure failures.
£757K to £49 Million. The Costs They Hide Keep Growing. Delivery Does Not
DHCW's published accounts show £757,000 in consultancy. A first FOI — after a complaint — revealed £8.94 million. Two further FOIs reveal £49 million in external contracts, including £20.6 million actually paid to a single supplier. Each time you ask, the number multiplies. And DHCW says even this answer is incomplete.
£600 Million In. £0.5 Million Out
Since April 2021, Digital Health and Care Wales has received approximately £600 million of Welsh public funding. Its total demonstrated return, stated by its own Director of Finance: £0.5 million. Nine flagship programmes are failing. Four more have been killed. For every £1,000 of public money invested, 83p has come back.
£226 Million. 25 Minutes. No Risks to Escalate
A £226 million Microsoft contract approved in 25 minutes with 'No risks to escalate.' £45 million hidden under 'Premises.' £8.9 million redefined out of consultancy. A governance statement that cannot complete the sentence explaining why the Welsh Government intervened. Every disclosure meets the minimum standard. None exceeds it.
£207,100 to Hear the Truth — Then They Buried It
DHCW paid Atos £207,100 for an independent stakeholder review. 292 people responded. Only 13.3% spoke highly of the organisation. 43.2% found it challenging to work with. 50.4% said DHCW did not understand their work. The report was marked 'for external use.' It was never published. It was obtained only through FOI.
£8.94 Million on Consultants. Nine Programmes Still Failing
DHCW spent £8.94 million on 49 consultancy contracts spanning 2019 to 2026. The programmes those consultants advised are now under Level 3 government intervention. The published accounts disclosed £757,000 for a single year. The FOI data reveals a far larger picture. And the real figure is higher still.
Nine Programmes, Zero Results: The £78 Million NHS Body the Government Cannot Fix
Nine major programmes. All under Level 3 government intervention. All at the same time. All under the same leadership. An organisation spending £78 million a year that cannot demonstrate a single pound of return on investment.
7% After a Year: The Electronic Prescribing System Nobody Uses
England completed electronic prescribing over a decade ago. In January 2025, DHCW's CEO told the Senedd that 7% of Welsh GP practices were using it. Your prescription is still on paper because DHCW could not deliver what England delivered ten years ago.